Nielsen's worries might grow next year if the impending fiscal cliff results in raised taxes for all income brackets, a cut to federal spending across the board and a capping of tax deductions for charitable giving.

"Nobody can tell us the impact until it happens, but it's going to be bad," Nielsen said.

Alternatives to Violence, which aims to prevent domestic violence and other violent crimes, relies on donors and foundations to provide crisis intervention, counseling, advocacy and transitional housing for its clients.

The majority of the nonprofit's funding -- 60 percent -- comes from federal government grants, while 35 to 38 percent is from foundations and the rest from donations.

An increase in taxes could cause individual donors and foundations to have less to give, Nielsen said.

"Even if they want to give, and they do, there's not going to be extra money to do that," she said. "People will do what they did last year. They will be cautious and concerned. If they give, they'll give at the end of the year."

The Food Bank/ Habitat for Humanity

At the Food Bank for Larimer County, which operates food distribution sites in Loveland and Fort Collins, donations support 55 to 60 percent of the nonprofit's operating budget with the rest coming from corporations, foundations and churches.

Donors who are motivated to give for tax deduction purposes may stop or reduce their giving if charitable giving is capped, said Amy Pezzani, executive director of the Food Bank.

"If families have less disposable income, they might have less money to give in general," Pezzani said.

Likewise, Gwen Stephenson, executive director of the Loveland Habitat for Humanity home-building program, believes donors will continue to give, but will give less if their taxes increase or if their charitable tax credits are limited. The majority of the nonprofit's donations come from middle income earners, who give more frequently and donate a higher percentage of what they earn than those from any other income level, she said.

"They are still close enough to possibly being in need themselves. They are more connected to situations others might be in," Stephenson said. "High income earners might be more insulated from the impact of the economy and the recession."

Twenty percent of what the nonprofit earns in cash donations are from individual donors, Stephenson said.

Those donations are used to build homes, while revenue from the ReStore thrift shop covers administrative costs and the building of one home a year. The nonprofit built 10 homes this year and is expecting to build eight in 2013.

"During the past few years, nonprofit organizations have been striving to meet more needs in the communities, number one because of government cuts and also because of the need created from the recession," Stephenson said. "Unfortunately, the majority of people in our country will be impacted by this in many ways. I hope our politicians understand that."

Other Nonprofits

Donors to Loveland's Community Kitchen have been "generous" this past year, said LuAnn Ball, director of the nonprofit that provides daily hot meals and to-go bags to the needy.

"Maybe they're doing that now, because they're not sure what's going to happen next year," Ball said. "We've just been so fortunate. Churches, foundations and individuals have been very generous this year."

Meals on Wheels of Loveland and Berthoud, which delivers meals to senior and disabled residents in the two communities, also could see donations decrease, affecting the number of clients the nonprofit can serve.

The decrease could cause the nonprofit to start a waiting list for the first time, said Kimberly Spencer, director of resource development.

"Our meals help seniors stay in their homes," Spencer said, adding that seniors who cannot access the meals may resort to living in a long-term care facility to get their needs met.

Nonprofits will face an increased demand on their services as those who are struggling struggle even more, said Gordan Thibedeau, president and chief executive officer of the United Way of Larimer County.

"Those that are already struggling that are employed but either underemployed or barely able to make ends meet will have a new tax liability as of the first of the year, which may exacerbate existing problems or throw someone off the cliff, so to speak," Thibedeau said.

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